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A wide choice of topics covered from the dawn of history right up to present days . Many of these have a wider relevance than purely within the context of Strathearn . The author's viewpoint often is at variance with the accepted opinions espoused elsewhere eg The Jacobite Uprisings and The Reformation .

The Witches Maze At Tullibole Castle Crook of Devon

This weekmyeyecaught thenewspaper article and
the BBC News story on the opening of the “ Witches Maze “ at Tullibole Castle in
the Crook of Devon . Quite an appropriate “blog “ as Halloween approachescomplete with witches , black cats , turnip
lanterns and the inevitable guysers !

Tullibole Castle

Lord Moncrieff and Lesley Riddoch ( who used to live in Fowlis Wester )at the opening

The memorial however is a somewhat sad reflection on the evil and
indeedbizarre behaviour of our
ancestors and in particular ourEstablishedChurch . These pillars
of society undertook a spate of trialswhich on reflectionmake the
Salem Witch Trials across the “ Pond “ resemble a Sunday school picnic ! The
Witches Maze at Tullibole Castle commemorates the victims of the Crook of Devon
witch trials in 1662.

The castle was once home to William Halliday and his son John who held
court over the 'covens' in the village. Lord Moncrieff, who now owns Tullibole,
commissioned the maze as there is no memorial in Crook of Devon.

In 1662 the court sat five times and resulted in the death of 11
suspected witches. Those who survived the trials were taken to a small mound
near the current village hall and strangled by the common hangman and their
bodies thrown on a fire.

Victims remembered

Lord Moncreiff commenced on the maze in 2003. The finished memorial is a
circle 33m (100ft) wide and consists of 2,000 beach trees.

At the centre of the maze is a one and a half ton elaborate sandstone
pillar, with the names of the victims etched on it. The five sided pillar was
created by Gillian Forbes, a stone carver from Path of Condie.

Lord Moncreiff said: "I dislike public art that has nothing to say
and commissioned Gillian because I believe she understands the sensitivity of the
task. "It is my hope that the memorial will also question our
understanding of the past and issues of blame and judgement in modern day
society."

Background

In 1899 ,the Auchterarder author AG Reid wrote in his ” Annals of Auchterarder and Memorials of
Strathearn “ , the following : “ the
Reformers after the Reformation decidedto dissipate darkness and remove superstition – the Presbyterof the New Church considered it his duty to
expiscateand clear outeven to the cleansingby fire rumoured delinquenciesin the exercise of magical arts . In Scotland this feeling was intensified
in the Reformed Church by the Act of Queen Mary , 4th June 1563 to
purge the country of diabolical influences , It seems however , not to
havebeen called much into
requisitionuntil after the return of
James Vl from his matrimonialexpedition
to Denmark in 1591 . The revelation of
unholy practicesagainst the Lord’s anointed
in the course of that memorablevoyage, and after his return ,
threw the timorousKing into a state of
terrorand inspired himwith the desire , as a sovereign prince , to
exterminate the practisers of that of devilish artsfrom his dominion .Not onlydid he encourageprosecutionsbut he wroteabookto prove the reality of the crime the credibility ofwhich had been impugned by the catholic Weir .From 1591to the death of King James in 1625, thirty five
trialsfor witch craftappearin the Justiciary recordsand
from that date down to 1640only eight
trials are recorded . From 1640to 1660there were thirty trialsalthough
under the Commonwealththe judgesgenerally discouragedsuch prosecutions .

After the
Restorationthe prosecution for witch
craftgreatly increased and in the year
immediately following1661 not fewer than
twenty personswere condemnedto deathfor witch craftbefore the High
Court of Justiciary and in addition instead of the casesbeing brought before the ordinary criminal
courts , Circuit and Justiciary , commissionswere also granted by the Privy Council to understandinggentlemen , empowering themto deal with the cases of reputedwitch craftoccurring in the special
localities with which they were connected . On one single day – the 7th
November1661 – not less than fourteen
commissionswere granted and during the
first eight monthsof the following
yearfifty additional commissions , each
of them containingfrom oneto ten names of reputed witches . The reports
of these commissionshave notbeen preserved but the recordedexecutionsaloneduring1662are statedat not less than one
hundred andfifty in number “

The
Accused – The Innocent Victims

Agnes Murrie, Trial 1

On the first of these trials Agnes Murrie, Bessie Henderson, and Isabella
Rutherford were condemned, and strangled and burnt on the following day.

Bessie Henderson, Trial 1

On the first of
these trials Agnes Murrie, Bessie Henderson, and Isabella Rutherford were condemned,
and strangled and burnt on the following day.

Isabella Rutherford Trial 1

On the first of these trials Agnes Murrie, Bessie Henderson, and Isabella
Rutherford were condemned, and strangled and burnt on the following day.

Agnes
Pittendriech, Trial 2

Only one escaped, which she owed to being pregnant at the time of her trial,
and being respited under an obligation to come up again for trial when
required. As there is no record of any ulterior proceedings being taken against
her, it is to be hoped that her respite resulted in their ultimate withdrawal

Margaret Hoggan
Trial 2

In the case of Margaret Hoggan no conviction or sentence against her is
recorded, although the evidence against her was equally strong as against the
other panels ; .but in the dittay against her she is described as a woman of
threescore and nineteen years, and she may have been either spared on account
of her old age, or she may have died in the excitement and terror in the course
of her trial. She is referred to as deceased at the next diet of Court, which
took place two months afterwards.

Robert Wilson, Trial 2

On the second trial Robert Wilson, Bessie Neil, Margaret Lister, Janet Paton,
and Agnes Brugh were found guilty and sentenced to be burnt on the following
day,

Bessie Neil, Trial 2

On the second trial Robert Wilson, Bessie Neil, Margaret Lister, Janet Paton,
and Agnes Brugh were found guilty and sentenced to be burnt on the following
day,

Margaret
Lister, Trial 2

On the second trial Robert Wilson, Bessie Neil, Margaret Lister, Janet Paton,
and Agnes Brugh were found guilty and sentenced to be burnt on the following
day,

Janet Paton, of Crook of Devon Trial 2

On the second occasion Robert Wilson, Bessie Neil, Margaret Lister, Janet
Paton, and

Margaret
Hoggan Trial 3

At the third diet, Margaret Hoggan and Janet Paton were brought to trial. There
is no conviction against Margaret Hoggan ; but Janet Paton was sentenced and
strangled and burnt the same day.
Janet Paton, of Kilduff Trial 3

At the third diet, Margaret Hoggan and Janet Paton were brought to trial. As
before stated, there is no conviction against Margaret Hoggan ; but Janet Paton
was sentenced and strangled and burnt the same day.
Janet Brugh Trial 4

Janet Brugh and Christian Grieve. The former was convicted and executed the
same day,

Christian Grieve Trial 4 and 5

Christian Grieve was put to her trial in July, 1662, and although the evidence
against her appears to have been strong, the "hail assize in one voice
declare that they will not convict her in no point of witchcraft, nor clenze
her in no point," and yet within a period of three months the same jury,
under the same presiding judge, and apparently without any additional evidence,
convicted her, and she was strangled and burnt on the fifth day thereafter.

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